Mission’s Klenk earns pair of silvers

Mission’s Haley Klenk impressed at the RBC Canadian Junior Swimming Championships, which wrapped up a few weeks ago in Winnipeg.

The 16-year-old Mission swimmer took home individual silver medals in the women’s aged 15 to 17 division 200 metres backstroke and the 100m backstroke.

Klenk, who trains with the Spartan Swim Club in Chilliwack, dominated in the 100m race on July 25, starting out strong and leading the way before slightly falling off the pace set by winner Alicia Arcand. Klenk finished with a time of 1:03.07, just behind Arcand’s time of 1:02.92. That time was also Klenk’s personal best in the distance.

The 200m race on July 28 saw Klenk finish with a time of 2:16.03, under a second behind gold medal winner Shannon Meadway (2:15.17).

The final night of the championships saw Klenk and her teammates finish sixth in the 4X100m medley relay event. Also on that team was Mission resident Sheigh Gaudette, who achieved a personal best during her breaststroke portion of the relay.

The event featured over 700 of the best 13- to 17-year-old girls and 14- to 18-year-old boys in the country. It is the highest national level meet for junior age group swimmers in Canada.

Both Gaudette and Klenk previously swam for the Mission Marlins before moving on to the Spartans. The pair also competed at the Canada Summer Games, which were also in Winnipeg, in 2017.